Tie-loading machine



Sept. A1s, 1923.

- D. H. MAHONEY TIE LOADING MACHINE Filed April 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 D H Mahune sept 18,1923. 1,468,335

D. H. MAHONEY TIE LOADING MACHINE Filed April 8 1922 2 SheLS-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 18, 1923..

nient sie.

` DANIEL H.MAHONEY, OF NORTH'BEND, OHIO.

TIE-LOADING MACHINE.

Application filed April,

.ingl ties, especially creosoted ties, into box cars or gondola cars.

In loading creosoted or otherwise treated I Yties into box cars, the creosoted ties while' still very hot from the4 creosoting operation are run out of the plant on tram cars and run into posltion adjacent the rail- `way car and are then loadedonto Vthe railroad car by hand. Inasmuch as t-heV tics at all times are slippery and difficultA to handle,

and inasmuch as oftentimes the ties are very Y hot,A there is a great difficulty in handling the ties and but slow work is made of the operation. Furthermore, the ties have to be lifted from' the tramcan onto a skid, shifted A along the `skid into lthe box car, and then slid on skids and trestles Vinto place, and after a few tiers of ties have `been built up, the

' e ties have to be lifted into place. As a consequence of this, it is o-rdinarily diliicult to lift the ties to a greater height than three feet and as a consequence the car is not properly filled with ties or properly loaded dolacar and shifted into with the maximum amount of ties which can be ordinarily accommodated. f

J lVith these facts inmind, the general 0bject of my invention is to provide a loading machine so constructed that with a minimum of manual -labor the ties may be lifted from. the tramcar, discharged onto a chute, and slid into the door of the box car or gonplace in tiers within the car. f f v Ordinarily these ties are much longer than `the width of the door of the box car, and a further object'of the invention, therefore, is to provide means whereby these relatively long ties maybe automatically guided in through the doorof the box car and disposed in place therein..V p

A further object/is to provide a machine of this character which,` by a simple5ad-- justment, may load first one end of the car and then load the other end of the car.

AAnother, object is to provide va machine 1922. sei-iai No. 550,851.

of this character which, after one car has been loaded, may be shifted into position in front of the door of the next adjacent car and this car loaded.

Still another object is to provide a. machine of this character which includestie- Vengaging hooks, and provide means whereby the carriage supporting these hooks may be shifted in such position that any tie on the tranicar may be engaged by the hooks and hoisted.

A still further object is to provide a machine of this character so constructedthat no tie releasing devices have to b e provided, but in which the tie is released upon a downward movement of the tie carrier after it has been elevated to a proper position. `Other objects will appear inthe course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein v Figure 1 is an end view of my improved loader showing the tie carrier in its initial position;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the tie carrier moving upward and in a'` position just before it discharges` the tie; Figure is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the loader showing the tie carrier moving downward and the tie discharged;

Figure 4: is a top plan view of the construction illustrated in Figure 1 and show ing in section the side wall of a. car;

Figure 5 is'a front elevation of the'loader and a portion of a box car.V

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that my device comprises a supporting frame more or f less rectangular in form and constructed of ordinary material., which supporting frame embodies the longitudinally extending. sills 10 and the transverse braces 11. rI 'hese sills and braces may be of angle iron, flat iron or any other suitable form. Preferably this frame 10 is mounted upon wheels 12 whereby the frame may be shifted from place to place.

VVBoltcd to the forward portion of the frame 10 `and extending vertically upward therefrom are the standards 13 whichvmay be of angle iron, channel iron or have any other suitable or desired form, these stand ards being connected at their upper ends by a cross piece 1li, Extending upward from the outer sill 1() and intersecting the standards 13 are the upwardly and forwardly extending standards which are illustrated as intersectingV the standards 10 at the point 16 and being bolted thereto at this point and being braced from the `standards 13 by the horizontally disposed braces 17.

Y Mounted upon the supporting 'frame so formed is a chute consisting of a downwardly and forwardly inclined plate 18 which is supported by a frame 19, the sides Vof this frame extendingV upward and rearward, as at 20, and being rigidly bolted ,the jambof Vthe door, as shown in'lFigureV 4. Y i

Extending downward and rearward from the` rear ends ofthe frame 1S lare the rails 25 which are illustrated Vas'jcircular incross sectionand illustrated as bolted to the ends of the frame 18.` This frame is further l'braced byfbraces`26 which are bolted or riveted-to the frame 1-8 at the junction of the rails25 and these `braces extending upward Vand being bolted or 4riveted to the standard"13. The rails 25 'at theirupper lends arepivoted to theframe 18 and are shiftableloutward or. inward by means 'of braces 27.' These braces 27 slide in guides 28 upon the standards 15 and the inner ends of the braces are formed with a plurality of perforations 29, there being bolts 30 'adapted to pass-throughany of these perforations 29 and through the standards 13 to' support the braces 27 in their adjusted positions. VThe outer ends'of` the'braces 27 areso formed as to bear againstV and supe portthel-rails 25.

Itwill` be obvious that when the braces.

2'? are forced outward, the lower ends of the rails 25 will be spread outward away Y Vfrom the standards 15, and when the braces 27 are adjusted inward, `the rails will be spaced ai less'l distance from-the standards 15. These rails are preferably connected at the point of intersections of the braces 27 by a cross brace 31. These'rails do not :reach the ground but are always disposed in Vfspaced relation thereto and 'are spaced apart frame Affrom which the adistance greater than the length ofthe ties are to be taken for loading. Mountedto operate upon the` rails is a tie liftingA carriage consisting' ofV a transverse bar 32 which may be'made of wood,

,metal or any other suitable material and Vwhichis illustrated as having a wear plate 33 upon its inner face. This .wear plate is so formed 'adjacent its endsas `to engage thetracks, and. I have illustrated for this ,Y

purpose this wear plate 33 asrbeing formed with depressed portions at its ends partially embracing the tracks 25. Pivoted to the bar 32is a transverse rod 34. This i rod is swingingly supported in vsuitable bearings 35 carried by the beam 32, and the extremities of the rod are angular-ly cnl bent andV normally depend in a 'verticalf position and, these ang'gularlyy bent portions are bent. forward and :upward "so asV tof provide hooks 36. The `middle of the rod 34 isformed to providel a handle 37 extending in an oppositedirection from the hooks.`

Attac-hed to the bar 32-isa bail 38, and a cable-,either a' wire rope,chain or like {iexible member is attached to this bail 3S and `extends upwardV and over a pulley 39Y mounted on the bracket attached ;to the cross piece 14 and from this pulley the iiexible member 39 extends to Vasecond pulley 40 andthen downward and over a winding drum 41 mountedupon the supporting framelO. This drum may be driven by any suitable engine or powery Preferably an electric motor `is mounted uponV the frame which drives the drum; y This ,hoisting drum is of any usual orV suitablevform" commonly used in lioistingfengines and forms no partVV of my invention.V The hoisting drum is*V provided withthe usua'l controlling levers, such as a clutch lever andla brake lever, so that Vthehoisting ,drum may bfc-clutched to the driving shaft* of thedrum or released therefrom and 'allowedtorun free, the movement 'of the hoistingV drum being controlled by a brake.'

' Coacting with thechut'e and-'the down- .i wardly extending plate 1 8 is' aV secondchute 42. One end of this'chute has its sidewalls Y 43 formed'with anareuate slotH terminating in an opening` 45whereby this 'end of of the frame 18. Alike stud 46 projects from the opposite end of the frame, Vandi-the side wall of-the chute attwo'-'diierent points are provided with the hook-shaped Vslot 44.

The chute is longer thanthe width-"of the the chute ,may be` hung'upon ajstud bolt 46 projecting from a longitudinal member car door opening, andwhile one endv of the chute 42, as4 illustrated,t abuts against theV Y wall b of the' car,Bpthe'otherAend of the chute extends into the car behind the front y walll of the car. Thus thechute 4,2 is not disposedjy parallel to the forward ledge of,

the plate 1S'but -is at an angle theretevor laterally spaced therefrom.' This end'of the chute42 is preferably" supported by means of a clamp 47, whichengages Vthe jamb of the doorway. p

It will beunderstood, of course, that the chute 42 Vis inclined downwardand it will be iso i plate 18. Thus when a tie moves downward on the plate 18, one end of the tie will be engaged `by the jambv of the cardoor,

while the other end of the tie will move on downward and will slip into the chute 42 and then the tie will move down the chute 42 as a whole. Thus the chute 42 acts to guide the tie into thecar doorand prevent the tie from becoming jammed. This is rendered necessary bythe fact that, as before stated, the tie is longer than the width of the c'a-r door opening.

Preferably, and in order to prevent any possibility ofthe tie jamming against the jamb of the door against that end wall 21 which abuts the jamb and getting stuck, l provide a guide strip 48which extends out through a slot in the plate 18 and extends downward over the walll of the chute 42 so Y that the rear end ofthe tie will be retarded the chute 42.

thus allowing the forward end of the tie to slip 'downward into vthe chute 42 and thus the tie be guided longitudinally intol the car, with no chance of' this end of the tie striking against and A'possibly catching on the jamb of the door. `lurthermore, this strip 4S acts to elevate this end of the tie so that itrwill have a greater initial impetus down lin the operation of this invention, this machine is disposed opposite the car door and `the chute 42 is adjusted to load one end of the car. The tram or truck with the ties is moved into position in front of the loader and the rails 25 are shifted so that thecarriage will Ymove down into proper relation to the first ties to be hoisted, with the hooks Vin a horizontal position. With the parts as shown in Figure' 1, the operator then by means ofthe usual pick pulls the tie into position'onto `the hooks 36. The man controlling the hoisting drum then causes the drum 41 to revolve and this through the strain applied to the cable 29 lifts the carriage` up the tracks with the tie. Eventually the carriage reaches the inclinedbraces 26 and as the carriage moves up these inclined braces 26, which form vto this extent a continuation of the rails 25, the tie strikestheguide fingers 23 and is swung rearwardly so 1 as to pass the upper end of the chutelS. Tf now the cable be paid out by the drum, the

carriage will move downward, the hooks will move through the slots 22 of chute18, and

veo

down and into the chute 42 and 'the' tie will be liftedupon the upper face of the chute and will slide down this chute 1S. One end of the tie will strike the door j amb, as before remarked, or strike thestri 48, and the other end of the tie will slide freely Y as a consequence the tie will be slightly diagonal to the plane of the car door so that one end will enter the car door and move laterally before the other end enters the car door, these car doors beingapproximately from 5' to 511; wide and the ties being from 8 to 84,- long. While the tie is being shot down the chute 18 into the chute 42, the carrier 'is returning to its original position ready to receive another tie, and as soon as it has reached a p osition convenient to receive this tie, the paying-out motion of the drum is stopped and the carrier held in this position. Then the operator shifts another tie onto the hooks 36 and the operation is repeated.

If it be desired to bring the carrier more nearly in alignmentwith the outside edge of the tramcar, it is an easy matter to adjust the braces 27 and shift these tracks 25 outward, or as the ties are removed from the tramcar these tracks'may be shifted inward, the tracks always being spaced apart a greater distance than the tramcar so that this motion of the tracks is permitted. Thus the carrier is brought into the exact position desired to make the handling of the ties most effective and to permit it to be done with the least possible amount of labor. After onehalf the car has been loaded, the chute 42 is turned from, say the position Shown in F igure 4 where it is inclined downward and toward the left and has its opposite or left hand end lowered and connected to the car door while the left hand end is connected to the corresponding stud 46 and the other half of the car is loaded. lVhen the car has been completely loaded the chute 42 is removed and may be rested upon `the chute 18 and then the machine is moved along to the next succeeding car which is, of course, loaded in the same manner.

Inasmuch asthe ties generally have to be actually handled,` pushed or shoved into position by manual exertion, a great deal of time is saved and the loading is materially expedited. As before remarked, it is eX- vtremely diliicult to handle these ties, not

only because of their slipperiness, but because of the heat of the ties, which in many cases prohibits their being manually handled at all, -Vith this construction, the

Vchute 42 is so mounted that the car may be loaded with five tiers of ties and thus loaded .to what is practically the capacity of the car for ties. Where the ties are loaded manually upon the car, only three tiers of ties can be so loaded at each end of the car.

1t will be seen thatmy machine depends very largely upon the principle of holding back one end of the tie while the other end is allowed to slip into the door opening and is automatically released from the carriage llO the carriage go back to its original position and Vdoes not have to bother with the tie,

whichl is automatically released from the carriage.

lVherc ties are being loaded upon gondola v,or at cars, it isnot necessary to usexthe chute 42. In. that case the ties may be slid directly from the cliutellS onto the car, but

Y the chute l2 permits the ties to be slid into the doorway oit a box car and furthermore permits the ties to be slid longitudinally toward the ends oic the car.

l/Vhile I have shown a machine which embodies the general principle ot my construction7 yet it will be understood that many changes might be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts withont departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims;` i

claim f 1. Means 'for loading ties into-cars coniprising a supportingframe, a laterallyr iiicliiied chute carried by the frame7 means Jfor hoisting ties and discharging'theni onto the chute with .the ties extending transversely to the inclination ot the chute, and a second longitudinally inclined chutedisposed with its axis at an acute angle to the discharge edge of the iirst named chute. Y

2. Means for loading' ties into cars coniprising a supporting frame, a laterally iiiclined chute carried by the frame, means tor hoisting tics and discharging them onto the chute with the ties extending transversely to the inclination of the chute, a second lengitudinally inclined chute disposed with its axis at an acute angle to the discharge edge of the first named chute, and means whereby that end ot the tie adjacent the upper end of the second named chute shall be retarded to cause the oppositie end of the tie to swing downward into the cai' door opening.

uMeans for loading ties into boxvcars Vcomprising a supporting frame, a laterally Yinclined chute carried by the traine, means 'for hoisting ties and discharging them onto the* chute, a second longitudinally inclined chute disposed at an acute angle to the discharge edge of the first named chute,v the upper end of the second named chute being disposed inward of tlie'adjacent end ol' the lirst naiiied chute to permit the anib of the car door to extend vertically across thisend of the first named chute to thereby impede that end of the tie adjacent the upper end of the second named chute and permit the opposite end of the tie to swing downward into the car door opening.

e. Means for loading ties into box cars comprising a supporting frame, a laterally inclined chiite carried by the frame, means for hoisting ties and discharging themonto the chute, a sec-ond longitudinally' inclined chute disposed at an acute `angle to thedischarge edge of the first named chute,` the upper end of the seeondnanied lchute being disposed inward ot the 'adjacent end of the iirst named chute to permit the jainbJo the ear door to extend vertically across this. end ot the iii-st named chute, and a guide strip exe tending from thetirst named chute adjacent the upper-end of the second named chute and extending over the second, named chute whereby to impede that end of the tie adjacent the upper end of theV second named chute and permitthe opposite end of the tie to swing downward into the car Vdoor openiiiff. Y

5. Mbeans for loading ties into box cars comprising av'supporting frame, a laterally inclined chute carried by the iframe, means Y for hoisting ties and discliargingthem onto the chute, a second longitudinally 'inclined chiite disposed at an acute angle to the dis#V charge edge oi' the first named chute, the npper end ot the second named cliutelbeing disposed inward of the adjacent end of the first named chute to permit the jamb of the car door to extend vertically across this end otl the first namedy chute, anda guide strip extending from the first namedfchute adjacent the upper endotthe second named chute and extending tover the second named chute, the end of the guide being upwardly extended whereby to impede that end .of the tie adjacent the upper end of the second named chute and permit the opposite end of the tie to swing downward into the ear door opening. a f

6.. Means comprising a supportingV traine, a laterally inclined chute carried by the frame, means for hoisting ties and discharging'thein onto the chute with the ties at right angles to the inclination of the chute, a second longitudinally inclined chute disposed at an acute angle to the discharge edge of theV first named chute, the upper end of the second named' chute having means whereby it may be operatively engaged with the irstnained f chute inward of the end thereof, andv means on the opposite end of the second named chute whereby it may be clamped upon the janib ot' the car door openingwith this end of the chute inward of said jamb.

V'r'. Means for `loadingties-into boxfcars comprising a supporting frame, a. laterally nahied chute, the side wallv of the'upper end of the second named chute havingfan for loading tiesl into boxcarslil() Y ias arcuate slot, the @fst named chute having a bolt operatively projecting from it with which the slot is adapted to engage, the lower end of the second namedchute having means whereby it may be clamped upon the j amb of a door opening, with the chute inside of the jamb. ,j Y

8. Means for loading ties into cars comprising a supporting ;t'rame,a laterally inclined chute mounted thereon, spaced rails extending outward and downward from a point above the chute and spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the tie to be elevated, a tie carrier movable over said rails, power operated means for raising or lowering the carrier along the rails, and tie engaging` means mounted upon the carrier.

9. Means for loading ties into cars comprising a supporting frame, a laterally inclined chute mounted thereon, spaced rails extending outward and downward from a point above-the chute and spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the tie to be elevated, a tie carrier movable over said rails, power operated means for raising or lowering the carrier along the rails, and tie engaging hooks swingingly mounted upon the carrier.

10. Means for loading ties into cars comprising a supporting trame, a laterally inclined chute mounted thereon, spaced rails extending outward and downward from a point above the chute and spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the tie to be elevated, a tie carrier movable over said rails, power' operated means for raising or lowering the carrier along the rails, and a pair of connected tie engaging hooks swingingly mounted upon the carrier and depending therefrom and having a handle common to both hooks.

11. Means for loading ties onto box cars comprising a. supporting frame, a laterally inclined chute connected thereto, spaced rails extending dutward and downward from a pointabo-ve the upper end of. the chute spa-ced apart a distance greater than the length of the tie to be loaded, a carrier extending over and movable on said rails, a power operated cable mounted uponV the frame above the chute and connected to the carrier to raise and lower it, tie engaging hooks swingingly mounted upon the carrier, and guides mounted upon the upper end of the chute and adapted to engage the tie to swing the tie and hooks outward to permit the tie to pass the upper end of the chute, the upper end of the chute being formed with slots to permit the downward passage of the hooks as the carrier movesdownward.

12. Means for loading ties comprising a vertically extending frame, a downwardly inclined chute mounted thereon, vrails ex- `means to Vtherealong,

tending downward and outward from a point above the upper end of the chute, a carrier moving over said rails and having' means for engaging the tie, and means permitting the carrier, tie and tie engaging pass upward to a point immediately above the upper end ot the chute, said means upon a downward movement of the carrier retaining` the tie upon the upper end of the chute but permitting the downward movement of the carrier and tie engaging means past the upper end of the chute.

13. A tie loading mechanism of thecharacter described including a vertical supporting frame, a downwardly inclined chute mounted thereon, rails extending downward and outward from a point above the chute, a carrier movable over said rails, power operated means for raising or lowering the carrier upon the rails, and means adapted to automatically release the tie from the carrier and deposit it on the chute upon the downward movement of the carrier past the chute after it has been raised to a point above the upper end of the chute.

14. A tieloading mechanism of the character described including a supporting frame, a downwardly inclined chute mounted thereon, rails extending downward and outward from the supporting frame, braces mounted upon the supporting frame, extending rearward therefrom and supporting the rails, a carrier movable over said rails and having tie engaging means, and power operated means for raising or lowering the carrier, said braces being longitudinally adjustable to shift the rails outward or inward. j

l5. A tie loading mechanism of the character described including a supporting frame, a downwardly inclined chute carried thereby, rail sections pivotally connected to the upper end of the chute and extending outward and downward therefrom, means for supporting the rail sections in adjusted position, rail sections connected to the upper ends of the irst named rail sections and extending upward and forward and connected to the supporting frame at a point forward of the upper edge of the chute, a tie carrier comprising a longitudinally extending bar resting upon said rails and movable a pair of tie engaging hooks swingingly mounted upon the bar and normally depending therefrom, a power operated cable operatively connected to the bar whereby it may be raised and lowered, guides attached to the upper margin of the chute and projecting'rearward therefrom and downward whereby to shift the tie outward to permit it to pass the upper edge of the chute, said chute having inwardly extending slots to permit the downward passage of the hooks when the tie carrier is raised past the chute.

. 16. Means for holding ties into oars comprising a supporting frame having support ing wheels whereby the fra-Ine may be shifted longitudinally parallel to aline of cars, aV downwardly inclined chute mounted upon the supporting frame, rails extending outward from the supportingv frame above the said ehute,-n1eans for supporting the rails with their` outer ends above' the ground and adjusting said rails toward or from the supporting traine to thereby permit the rails to eXtendfover a tramcar and rto be adjusted transverselyof the trarnear, a

signature.

DANIEL H. MAHONEY. 

